Mugabe says of Obama’s gay rights push, ‘We ask, was he born out of homosexuality?’

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe speaks at an election rally in Chitungwiza. (REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo)

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe railed against President Obama during a recent campaign rally, arguing that the U.S. president wanted to force Africa to “embrace homosexuality,” according to the Herald, a Zimbabwean newspaper that the Economist describes as “state controlled” and “slavishly pro-Mugabe.”
The African leader often criticizes homosexuality or other perceived enemies to gin up populist support, but the turn against Obama included a new comment.

“Then we have this American president, Obama, born of an African father, who is saying we will not give you aid if you don’t embrace homosexuality,” Mugabe said, according to the Herald. “We ask, was he born out of homosexuality? We need continuity in our race, and that comes from the woman, and no to homosexuality. John and John, no; Maria and Maria, no.” He then broke briefly into Shona, a native Zimbabwean language, before concluding, it’s not clear about whom, “If they don’t, we will cut their heads off.”
Mugabe also reiterated his oft-repeated comparison between homosexuals and pigs. “They are worse than dogs and pigs, yes worse than dogs and pigs,” he said. “I keep pigs and the male pig knows the female one.” Parts of the speech, including some of the swipe at Obama, were independently reported in the Zimbabwean outlet NewsDay.
Mugabe is facing reelection on July 31. It’s the country’s first presidential vote since a violence-ridden 2008 election that was met with such international outcry that Mugabe was forced to accept a power-sharing arrangement with one of his rivals, though he has appeared to largely maintain power. Mugabe has run Zimbabwe since 1980 and is now 89 years old but shows no signs of ceding power willingly.
Attitudes toward homosexuality are negative in much of sub-Saharan Africa, where homophobia is often used by populist leaders looking for an easy enemy or a way to divert from tougher issues. The Obama administration’s plan to support gay rights in Africa has at times been met with a backlash and a belief among some that the United States wishes to impose homosexuality on Africans.
Just for good measure, Mugabe also criticized Britain, which he called, in an almost word-for-word reproduction of long-held North Korean propaganda tropes, “a very cold, uninhabitable country with small houses.”
The Washington Post

The Surprising Truth About C-Sections

 
Turns out, it's not so safe to streamline the delivery process 

Does it seem like everyone and their moms has had a c-section-or knows someone who has? It's not all in your head: Cesarean delivery rates increased by nearly 60 percent between 1996 and 2009. But a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report finds that the rate of cesarean deliveries in the U.S. has leveled off for the first time in 12 years.

 Experts credit the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), a nonprofit women's health care advocacy group, with curbing the upward trend. In 2009, the group launched a public health campaign to discourage physicians and expecting mothers from undergoing unnecessary c-sections.


Why C-Sections Can Be Dangerous
 Cesarean deliveries are riskier than vaginal births because cutting into your abdomen exposes you to bacteria, which increases your odds of getting an infection, says George Macrones, MD, a representative for the ACOG. A c-section delivery can also heighten your chances of excessive bleeding, blood clots, and, in rare cases, death, he says.

 What's more, it takes an intense physical toll on your body. While recovering from vaginal birth takes just one to two weeks, post-c-section recovery can last up to six weeks. And after you recover, your c-section could complicate future pregnancies; women who have cesarean deliveries face an increased risk of placenta implantation problems, uterine rupture, bladder and bowel injuries, a second cesarean delivery, and the need for a hysterectomy, according to previous research cited in the ACOG guidelines.

Despite these risks, about 31 percent of U.S. births between 2009 and 2012 were cesarean deliveries. And while there's no firm data on what portion of these procedures were medically necessary, experts at ACOG estimate that about 8 percent of the total number of c-sections were avoidable.


Why They Became So Popular
It's known that c-sections come with the complications listed above… so what accounted for the rise between 1996 and 2009? One reason is that c-sections lead to more c-sections. If a woman has already had a baby via cesarean, giving birth to a second child vaginally becomes riskier. Doctors are wary of performing risky procedures, both out of fear of harming the mother, and also out of fear of lawsuits. A 2010 poll published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology showed that 29 percent of obstetrician college members said they were performing more caesareans to avoid being sued.

Another reason is convenience-for both the mother and the doctor. Women may prefer to have c-sections scheduled around when family members might be in town to help them take care of their children, for instance. And older studies have found that c-sections are more common on Fridays and between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. The scary implication: Some doctors might recommend inducing labor so that they don't have to spend their nights and weekends waiting for the baby to come.

When a C-Section is Your Best Bet
 All that being said, sometimes c-sections are necessary to ensure the safety of the mother and child. Like most medical decisions, it's ultimately up to you and your doctor to determine the best way to deliver your baby. But according to the ACOG, you might be a prime candidate for a c-section if:

-You're carrying multiples and they're very small or poorly positioned

-Your contractions aren't strong enough to move the baby on their own

-The umbilical cord is pinched or compressed

-The baby has an abnormal heart rate

-There's a problem with the placenta

-The baby is particularly large or breech

-You're infected with an STI that could infect your baby if it were to go through the birth canal

-You have diabetes, which could lead to a larger baby

 -You have high blood pressure, which can lead to preeclamsia, a dangerous condition that can damage your organs and can only be cured by childbirth (which is why an early-term cesarean delivery may be necessary) 

The Bottom Line
 If you can have a vaginal birth safely, you should, says Macrones. When you give birth the natural way, you face a lower rate of infection and will experience a faster recovery-so you can hit the ground running as a new mom. So before you sign off on a c-section, you should ask your doctor if you can give birth vaginally. Be wary of doctors who encourage c-sections right off the bat-especially if you're young and relatively healthy.

Tito Vilanova set to step down as Barcelona coach after suffering relapse

Vilanova

Barcelona have called a press conference this evening, where they are expected to announce that Tito Vilanova will resign as coach of the Catalan side, because he has reportedly suffered a cancer relapse.
The statement read: “This Friday at 20:30, there will be a press conference featuring president Sandro Rosell and director of football Andoni Zubizarreta in the press room at the Ciudad Deportiva.”

ESPN FC columnist Graham Hunter told Sky Sports News: “Off the record, the directors are briefing that Tito Vilanova has come to them following the regular check-ups that you would expect for somebody who has had such intense radiotherapy and chemotherapy to fight off a cancerous tumour in his saliva gland.
“It’s been affecting him now for 18 months, maybe a little bit more, and the check-ups have shown that there is a renewed problem.”
The 44-year-old took over Barca following Pep Guardiola’s resignation at the end of the 2011/2012 season and led the club to the League title this year. He was initially diagnosed with the problem in December last year, but returned to Spain in March, after treatment in New York. His assistant, Rubi, is expected to take over the team.

THE SENATORS WHO VOTED FOR UNDERAGE MARRIAGE (SEE THEIR LIST HERE)

We now know how senators voted on the constitution amendment bill which caused an uproar in the senate on Tuesday. The section up for amendment had to do with persons qualified to renounce Nigerian citizenship. The constitution in Section 29 says anyone of age can do so. Section 29(4) (b) says that ” any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age.” It means that even a child if married can be seen to be of full age and as such can renounce citizenship. The committee proposed that that provision be deleted. When it was put to vote, 2/3 of members present voted for it which meant it was deleted. But, not so fast. Enter Senator Ahmed Yerima of Zamfara, the controversial former governor of Zamfara who tried to stoke religious sentiments. He said it was against Islamic law. Yerima got married to a teenager a few years ago, and going by the provision, the girl who is still not 18 cannot be said to be of age. Sen. Yerima needs to watch this video: Watch: Genius: Meet The Most Politically Aware And Lucid 12 Year Old In The World He kicked and began to mobilise his fellow Muslims in the Senate and it was threatening to cause confusion. Despite the senate president, David Mark insisting that it could no longer be revisited as it had been voted upon, Yerima continued his objection. Due to the sensitive nature, Mark had to call for another vote. At this point the Senators who were in favour of this clause could no longer muster 2/3 of the votes that will retain Section 29, Clause 4 (b). Senators still voted 60 votes to 35 votes for the clause to be deleted, but it did not satisfy the 2/3 requirement and so, according to the senate version, “any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age.” Thanks to Sen. Babafemi Ojudu (Ekiti Central, ACN), we have the full list of the senators who voted NO) The senators who voted NO, that is those who did not want the clause deleted, include the following:
1. Sen. Abdulmumin M. Hassan (Jigawa South West, PDP)
2. Sen. Abdullahi Danladi (Jigawa North West, PDP)
3. Sen. Adamu Abdullahi (Nasarawa West, PDP)
4. Sen. Ahmed Barata (Adamawa South, PDP)
5. Sen. Akinyelure Ayo (Ondo Central, Labour Party)
6. Sen. Alkali Saidu A. (Gombe North, PDP)
7. Sen. Bagudu Abubakar A. (Kebbi Central, PDP)
8. Sen. Dahiru Umaru (Sokoto South, PDP)
9. Sen. Galaudu Isa (Kebbi North, PDP)
10. Sen. Garba Gamawa (Bauchi North, PDP)
11. Sen. Danjuma Goje Mohammed (Gombe Central, PDP)
12. Sen. Gobir Ibrahim (Sokoto East, PDP)
13. Sen. Gumba Adamu Ibrahim (Bauchi South, PDP)
14. Sen. Hadi Sirika (Katsina North, CPC)
15. Sen. Ibrahim Bukar Abba (Yobe East, ANPP)
16. Sen. Jajere Alkali (Yobe South, ANPP)
17. Sen. Jibrilla Mohammed (Adamawa North, PDP)
18. Sen. Kabiru Gaya (Kano South, ANPP)
19. Sen. Lafiagi Mohammed (Kwara North, PDP)
20. Sen. Lawan Ahmad (Yobe North, ANPP)
21. Sen. Maccido Mohammed (Sokoto North, PDP)
22. Sen. Musa Ibrahim (Niger North, CPC)
23. Sen. Ndume Mohammed Ali (Borno South, PDP)
24. Sen. Sadiq A. Yaradua (Katsina Central, CPC)
25. Sen. Saleh Mohammed (Kaduna Central, CPC)
26. Sen. Tukur Bello (Adamawa Central, PDP)
27. Sen. Ugbesia Odion (Edo Central, PDP)
28. Sen. Umar Abubakar (Taraba Central, PDP)
29. Sen. Usman Abdulaziz (Jigawa North East, PDP)
30. Sen. Ya’au Sahabi (Zamfara North, PDP)
31. Sen. Zannah Ahmed (Borno Central, PDP)
32. Sen. Ahmad Rufai Sani (Zamfara West, ANPP)
33. Sen. Ahmad Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central, PDP)
34. Sen. Bello Hayatu Gwano (Kano North, PDP)
35. Sen. Ibrahim Abu (Katsina South, CPC)
Some senators did not register to vote, while some abstained.
After the second voting, Yerima tried to get up to thank the Senate Present and his colleagues in an attempt to claim victory, he was shouted down and booed.

Obama earned $609,000 in 2012, pays $112,000 in taxes

President Barack Obama made less in 2012 than in any other year since taking office, with about 40 percent of the nearly $609,000 in income that he and first lady Michelle Obama reported coming from book sales.
Obama, who renewed his call for higher taxes on the wealthy in the budget he released Wednesday, paid $112,214 in taxes last year, putting his effective federal tax rate at 18.4 percent. The Obamas donated almost one-quarter of their income to charity, according to tax returns released by the White House.
Most of the $608,611 that the Obamas reported in adjusted gross income came from the president's salary, as he reported $394,840 in wages. An additional $258,772 came from royalties from his books, including his 1995 memoir "Dreams From My Father," his 2006 political book, "The Audacity of Hope," and a 2010 children's book, "Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters."
Income from Obama's books has fallen off since 2009, when his books sales surged after his inauguration. The Obamas made $5.5 million that year — his first year in office — but the figure dropped precipitously the next year to $1.73 million. In 2011, the Obamas reported about $790,000 in income.
The president and Mrs. Obama signed their tax returns on Monday — one week before the April 15 deadline for Americans to file their 2012 returns.
Itemized deductions of $258,385 brought the Obama's taxable income down to $335,026. The first family deducted $45,056 in interest on the mortgage for their home in Chicago, plus $36,554 in state and local taxes and $26,751 in real estate taxes.
Through withholding and estimated tax payments during the year, the Obamas paid $129,029 to the Internal Revenue Service — an overpayment of $16,815. The Obamas directed that, rather than receive a refund, the overpayment will be applied to their taxes for next year.
The Obamas also claimed $39,875 in income from outside the United States. A White House official said all of that income came from book royalties, but did not disclose details about which countries the income came from. The official was not authorized to comment publicly on Obama's taxes and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The president and first lady reported donating $150,034 — or 24.6 percent of their income — to 33 charities. That's a slight dip from the previous year, when the Obamas donated more than $172,000. The largest contribution last year was a $103,871 donation to Fisher House Foundation, which provides humanitarian services to military members, veterans and their families. Other charitable groups that received donations from the president for $5,000 or less include the American Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the United Negro College Fund.
The president and the first lady also paid $29,450 in income taxes to Illinois, according to their state tax returns.
The White House also released tax returns for Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, who teaches at Northern Virginia Community College.
The Bidens paid $87,851 in federal income taxes on $385,072 in adjusted gross income, for an effective federal tax rate of 22.8 percent. The vice president and his wife paid state income taxes in two states — $13,531 in Delaware and $3,593 in Virginia. The Bidens overpaid a bit last year in their withholdings, so they'll get a refund of $4,608 from the IRS.
They reported donating $7,190 to charity. The largest sum of $2,400 went to the Catholic Diocese in Wilmington, Del.
The president this week revived his push for wealthier Americans to pay higher taxes, arguing that higher earners like himself should bear a larger share of the burden for deficit reduction. The $3.8 trillion budget blueprint he unveiled Wednesday proposed that "wealthy millionaires pay no less than 30 percent of income, after charitable contribution, in taxes," to ensure that poorer Americans don't get stuck paying higher rates than the wealthy. Obama also proposed a change in the way inflation is calculated that, if proposed, would have the effect of pushing more Americans into higher tax brackets.
"The president believes we must reform our tax system, which is why he has proposed policies like the Buffett Rule that would ask the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share while protecting families making under $250,000 from seeing their taxes go up," White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement accompanying the release of Obama's tax returns.
During the negotiations with Congress over New Years, Obama won a tax increase on incomes over $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for couples, although he had wanted those thresholds to be lower. The deal to avert the so-called fiscal cliff preserved the lower Bush-era tax rates for the middle class.

Another Disaster: Boat mishap in Nigeria, 164 feared dead

The National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, has confirmed that it has recovered nine bodies from a boat that capsized at 40 nautical miles off the coast of Calabar, Cross River State, South-south Nigeria.
The boat reportedly left on Friday from the remote town of Oron in Akwa- Ibom state and was heading across the Gulf of Guinea to Gabon, in Central Africa.

A text message to Dailypost on Tuesday night by NEMA Head of Public Relations, Yushau Shuaib, said two survivors have been taken to the University Teaching Hospital in Calabar.
The spokesman added that rescue operations are ongoing.

KANO BOMB BLAST: 108 PASSENGERS ROASTED TO DEATH

Scene of Kano bomb blast

KANO MOTOR PARK BOMB BLAST UPDATE:

• Death Toll Rises to 108 Passengers.

• 59 passengers that bought full ticket all died plus the other 49 passengers that bought small seat (attachment), were roasted alive.
  

HOW KESHI, NFF, USED AND ABANDONED ME...... Emmanuel Emenike

Super Eagles striker Emmanuel Emenike, has expressed his unhappiness, over the way Stephen Keshi has treated him, after he picked up a hamstring injury at the Africa Cup of Nations.
The Spartak Moscow player, who ended the competition as the top scorer, says he has not heard from the coach, who eventually left him out of the squad to Kenya in a World Cup qualifier ever since.
“I must be honest with you, I have not been treated well by the coach and the NFF because they ignored me so soon, so fast,” he said in an interview with MTNFootball.
“Nobody from NFF and the coach have called to ask me about my injury. I am bitter about this. It is unfair and I can tell you that is why some players don’t come to give their best for the national team.
“When a player gets injured on national duty, I think the country’s football authority and coach ought to keep in touch to let him know he is loved and cared for.
“I am not a use-and-dump player. I will not act as one at all because my club career is very much important to me than anything.”

Emenike cited the case of Victor Anichebe and said it would be hard for any player to give their best in a Nigerian jersey.
“Look at a player like (Victor) Anichebe (Everton striker was injured while on national team duty last year), no one cared about him and you think he will come to national team to give his best,” he pointed out.
“I am not worried about that but I just need to tell them it’s unfair. It is not everything that is money, but a call just to show you care could change someone’s problem at a particular time.”
He however went on to praise his Russian club, who stood by him all the way and are helping him get back to the pitch.
“I must give kudos to my club for taking good care of me even though I didn’t get the injury while playing for them,” he said.
“I can’t wait to return to my best form. I feel like playing and banging in the goals for my club right now.
“I am happy with my rehabilitation and I will start joggling soon and I believe I will respond well because I have missed the game so much.”

HOUSE WIFE HIRES ASSASSINS TO KILL HUSBAND

A housewife, who allegedly masterminded the gruesome murder of her husband in Port Harcourt, is now telling the Rivers State Police Command all she knows about the crime.
The woman, whose identity could not be ascertained as at press time, was said to have plotted the assassination of her husband ( name withheld) on Wednesday night, at their house in Mgbeosimiri, in Agip area of Rumuolumeni.
The deceased, who was a prominent businessman and contractor with Nigerian Agip Oil Company, was killed at his country home, Mgbeoshimiri, Rumuolumeni, in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the State. Saturday Sun gathered that the woman hid the alleged killers in their house before her husband returned from work, having told them that he was “a strong man” whose powers needed to be neutralised before they carried out the operation. According to a source, when the deceased returned home from work at about 11:30pm, the wife asked him what he wanted to take for dinner and her husband requested for oatmeal.
She was said to have drugged the meal, which weakened the man and paved the way for the assassins to murder him without resistance.
Shortly after the incident, one of the perpetrators was arrested and handed over to the police by members of a vigilance group, who noticed bloodstains on his clothes.
The woman, who later confessed to the crime, was said to have fainted at a police station, when she sighted one of the suspects in the murder. She was said to have confessed to conspiracy to kill her husband. According to her confession to the police, she decided to eliminate her husband when she discovered that he was making plans to marry a woman who was already pregnant for him.
When the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Benjamin Ugwuegbulam, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), was contacted, he told the reporter to give him some time to confirm from the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the area. Subsequent efforts made by our reporter to reach him on phone proved abortive. DAILY SUN

Microwaving:The worst way to cook

It is a well known fact that raw food is more nutritious than cooked because cooking food destroys nutrients, whether it’s on a stove, or in the microwave oven. But microwaving food on high power can be more destructive than cooking on the stove.
Microwaving is the unhealthiest way to cook food. Dozens of researchers agree that the microwave oven absolutely decimates the nutritional value of food, destroying the very vitamins and phytonutrients that prevent disease and support good health.
“Microwaved food is not merely ‘dead’ food at every level; it is food that has been deconstructed, leaving nothing but empty calories, fibre and minerals” warned a nutritionist recently.

What’s really deceptive about microwave cooking is that the food still appears to be basically the same, but at the cellular level, it’s like a nuclear war has taken place because virtually the entire vitamin and phytonutrient content has been destroyed. Vitamins and phytonutrients (plant-based nutrients) are delicate molecules which are fragile. They are easily destroyed by heat, which is why raw plant foods contain more plant nutrients than cooked foods.
The full story on microwave cooking is a long-drawn one. promote ill health because they turn nutritious, healthy food into empty, decimated calories.
A microwave does not just heat the food by moving the molecules faster. Microwave ovens create radio waves at a frequency of about 2.45 GHz. This is enough energy to destroy biological molecules through electromagnetic radiation. The microwaves excite the water molecules inside the food that is cooking, causing heat to be formed from the inside out. This results in a cell-by-cell molecular decomposition of the vitamins and phytonutrients that promote disease.
There is a tendency for most microwave users to cook everything on high power, except when defrosting. High is the default setting. The maximum power is also a major selling point for a microwave oven. The higher the power, the stronger the electric field, and the more damaging it is to nutrients even if the final temperature is the same.
So, the lower the power, the safer.
But only some microwave ovens are capable of true low power cooking. The microwave ovens equipped with inverter magnetrons actually reduce the power instead of just cycling it between high and off. So if you use a microwave, use one with an inverter magnetron, and cook on low power. Cooking on low power (not intermittent high) will greatly reduce the amount of damage done to the food.
But if you want to eat in a healthy way, make sure a significant part of your diet is raw plants. It’s okay to eat some steamed, stir-fried or even grilled vegetables, but when grilling foods, avoid burning them because all burned parts contain toxic, cancer-causing chemicals that promote colon cancer.

SODOM & GOMORRAH: 400-member homosexual club found in Benue State

As Benue state continues to grapple with the rising figures of HIV/AIDS in the state, Executive Secretary of the Benue State Agency for the Control of Aids (BENSACA), Mrs. Grace Wende has revealed that the agency recently discovered a 400-member homosexuals club existing in Makurdi the Benue state capital.
She said the organisation otherwise known as Men Sleeping with Men, MSM, has a large membership of male students from higher institutions in the state.
Wende who made this disclosure yesterday at a one day Training of Media Practioners on HIV/AIDS in Makurdi, said the existence of the gay club in the state was not helping the state government’s efforts at curbing the spread of the HIV virus in the state.
According to her, “the club was discovered during an Epidermic appraisal carried out by our Canadian partners in colloboration with BENSACA following the state government’s resolve to fight the increasing trend of HIV/AIDs in the state as shown in 2011 survey.
”In fact my office is already interacting with the group of young men who  are mostly undergraduates in various higher institution of learning located in the state.” She stressed that the idea of identifying with the MSM which usually holds their meetings in December in Makurdi was meant to reduce the spread of HIV virus commonly found among them.
Mrs Wende further urged all stakeholders to join the fight against the virus in the state, stressing, “there is a heightened need for scale-up of effective and efficient HIV prevention efforts in the state if we must all win this war against the virus.”

VANGUARD NEWS

Infant in Womb Holds Doctor's Hand

• Infant in Womb Holds Doctor's Hand …

Nevaeh Atkins was going to be born soon enough. She just wanted a helping hand, evidently.

She got one from her doctor, as seen in a photo snapped Oct. 9 by her father just before her birth via C-section.

In the photo, Nevaeh grips Dr. Allan Sawyer's hand even before emerging from her mother's womb.

"I just thought right away that it was a beautiful, amazing photo that I had never seen before," Nevaeh's mother, Alicia Atkins, told ABCNews.com. "I knew it was special right away.

"When my doctor broke my water, the doctor told my husband, 'Hey, she's holding my finger,'" Atkins said. "He had my camera, and so they were able to capture the moment of her holding his hand."

The Phoenix-area mom first saw the photo Oct. 10, but she had her assessment of its specialness affirmed after she posted it Dec. 26 on the Facebook page of her Glendale, Ariz., photography company, A Classic Pin-Up, and drew the attention of ABC News affiliate KNXV-TV and other local media.

Even Nevaeh's two older brothers, ages 2 and 3, were impressed.

"Every time they see it on TV, they say, 'That's Nevaeh's hand,'" Atkins said.

The picture is only emerging now because Atkins kept it under wraps for weeks after the birth as she enlarged it to give as a gift to Dr. Sawyer. She wanted him to see it first, and wanted him to see it big.

"I've never captured that picture before," Sawyer told KNXV. "It's really rare."

Finally, Atkins was able to reveal the picture to the rest of the world.

"We actually weren't going to put a copy of the photo in our house because we didn't know the reaction of people, whether it was too graphic or not," Atkins told ABCNews.com.

But after all the coverage the picture attracted, she said, she and her husband changed their minds. Now, Nevaeh (or "heaven" spelled backward) will grow up with it.

"We decided to put the photo in her room," Atkins said, "so that she'll always know how special it was."

(ABC News)

WHEN BEAUTY IS A CRIME... Dental Assistant Fired For Being 'Irresistible'

After working as a dental assistant for ten years, Melissa Nelson was fired for being too "irresistible" and a "threat" to her employer's marriage.

"I think it is completely wrong," Nelson said. "I think it is sending a message that men can do whatever they want in the work force."

On Friday, the all-male Iowa State Supreme Court ruled that James Knight, Nelson's boss, was within his legal rights when he fired her, affirming the decision of a lower court.

"We do think the Iowa Supreme Court got it completely right," said Stuart Cochrane, an attorney for James Knight. "Our position has always been Mrs. Nelson was never terminated because of her gender, she was terminated because of concerns her behavior was not appropriate in the workplace. She's an attractive lady. Dr. Knight found her behavior and dress to be inappropriate."

For Nelson, a 32-year-old married mother of two, the news of her firing and the rationale behind it came as a shock.

"I was very surprised after working so many years side by side I didn't have any idea that that would have crossed his mind," she said.

The two never had a sexual relationship or sought one, according to court documents, however in the final year and a half of Nelson's employment, Knight began to make comments about her clothing being too tight or distracting.

"Dr. Knight acknowledges he once told Nelson that if she saw his pants bulging, she would know her clothing was too revealing," the justices wrote.

Six months before Nelson was fired, she and her boss began exchanging text messages about work and personal matters, such as updates about each of their children's activities, the justices wrote.
The messages were mostly mundane, but Nelson recalled one text she received from her boss asking "how often she experienced an orgasm."
Nelson did not respond to the text and never indicated that she was uncomfortable with Knight's question, according to court documents.
Soon after, Knight's wife, Jeanne, who also works at the practice, found out about the text messaging and ordered her husband to fire Nelson.
The couple consulted with a senior pastor at their church and he agreed that Nelson should be terminated in order to protect their marriage, Cochrane said.
On Jan. 4, 2010, Nelson was summoned to a meeting with Knight while a pastor was present. Knight then read from a prepared statement telling Nelson she was fired.

"Dr. Knight felt like for the best interest of his marriage and the best interest of hers to end their employment relationship," Cochrane said.

Knight acknowledged in court documents that Nelson was good at her job and she, in turn, said she was generally treated with respect.

"I'm devastated. I really am," Nelson said.

When Nelson's husband tried to reason with Knight, the dentist told him he "feared he would have an affair with her down the road if he did not fire her."

Paige Fiedler, Nelson's attorney, said in a statement to ABC News affiliate KCRG that she was "appalled" by the ruling.

"We are appalled by the Court's ruling and its failure to understand the nature of gender bias.," she wrote.

"Although people act for a variety of reasons, it is very common for women to be targeted for discrimination because of their sexual attractiveness or supposed lack of sexual attractiveness. That is discrimination based on sex," Fiedler wrote. "Nearly every woman in Iowa understands this because we have experienced it for ourselves."

N4bn scam: EFCC may declare ex-Kogi gov. Audu wanted

ABUJA- Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, may declare former governor of Kogi State, Prince Abubakar Audu wanted, following the inability of its operatives to arrest him yesterday.